The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 353

351. Under Discussion (3)

[Ho, Lord of Chaos!]

The newbie flapped his sleeves, looking embarrassed.

[I’ll stall them with words, with words!]

“Step back, Rabbit.”

[Why are you suddenly acting like this!]

“I’ve always been like this.”

The tip of Attitude [his sword] pointed towards the void. The air trembled, and the wind picked up, swirling snowflakes into a dizzying dance. The newbie, following instructions, hopped behind the young Chaos, squealing.

[You promised you wouldn’t strike first! Lord of Chaos!]

“Strike first? This is a greeting.”

No one would even get hurt, let alone die, from this. He spoke the words casually, and the blue-glowing blade moved in a downward arc. The Attitude of the Tilted Sunset Sky. True to its name, the space it cleaved began to collapse diagonally. The wound, initially just a few meters long, stretched endlessly, swallowing the surrounding territories as if they were being sucked into a black hole.

The sea tilted and poured out, and the land shattered into fragments. The territory, once bathed in light, was instantly plunged into darkness. The newbie internally screamed and stamped his feet, watching the meticulously crafted spaces collapse one after another like dominoes.

[You said you’d just overturn the table! Why are you destroying everything!]

“Too much talk.”

[It’s easy to destroy, but creating it is so hard!]

“Easy, you say?”

The newbie, looking tearful, flinched and shook his head.

[N-No, it just looked easy…]

“It’s not easy for me.”

The young Chaos was oblivious to the intricate strategies others employed. But his skill in dismantling them surpassed that of any other Transcender [beings who have transcended their original world]. The reason was simple: he had destroyed a lot. He had faced countless beings of equal standing who painstakingly created and tried to protect, and he had learned and mastered the art of destruction instinctively, through direct experience.

He was more ignorant than anyone, yet at the same time, he grasped the essence of power itself more accurately than anyone else.

Meanwhile, the twisted rifts encroached on the territories of other Transcenders. Some glared at the destroyer in anger. Some remained indifferent, and others quietly steered clear of the unfolding chaos. Still others moved to seal the cracks created by the young Chaos.

Eventually, the rifts vanished, and countless gazes converged on the only intact space: the newbie’s snowfield. The young Chaos raised a hand and waved it lightly.

“Hello.”

The rock that had lost its forest asked who he was. The mouse in the half-destroyed flowerbed stamped its feet fiercely.

“Not a very welcoming atmosphere.”

[Isn’t it obvious? You’ve ruined everything!]

“There are hardly any familiar faces. Even Crescent Moon is absent. Wellstone, ah, I killed him. I’ve killed half the guys I used to know, and the other half have assimilated into the system, and I can’t even see the few remaining ones. Time is merciless.”

Clicking his tongue, Chaos smiled brightly.

“Introduce yourselves, young ones.”

Growls filled with anger erupted from here and there at his condescending tone. The snowfield echoed loudly, and snow cascaded from the trees. A significant number of those who knew about the young Chaos quietly disappeared from sight. A giant whale with lace-like fins fluttered nervously between those who were angry and those who adopted a wait-and-see approach.

[More than half have left, so we will adjourn. The young Chaos cannot attend the next negotiation table. System coordination to prepare a place is expected to take 317 system hours.]

With the announcement, the meeting was dismissed. The newbie fled with the young Chaos to a temporarily created space. As soon as they entered the empty space, light flooded in, and soft grass sprouted. A table with chairs appeared, along with a stream encircling the table. He conjured a sky-blue willow tree and poured tea into teacups. The wind rustled pleasantly.

The young Chaos sat in a chair and picked up a teacup.

“It’s comfortable.”

“I shouldn’t have come with the Lord of Chaos!”

“If it’s 317 system hours, how many days is that in the Pony World?”

“It varies. That’s why we use system time. It could be as short as a week or as long as a month, but since there’s interference with the system connection right now, it’s likely to be around a week.”

The newbie grumbled, his ears twitching with every frown.

“We’ve bought time, but will Honey be able to return to her country in the meantime? Chatterbox seems to be considering Advent [divine intervention] if things don’t work out. Even a Revelation [a divine message] would be troublesome. Honey’s world has little faith in divine beings, but it’s not nonexistent.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Depending on the world, they sometimes decorate it with rewards from gods. Like a hero training program. If they believe in various gods and their influence is strong, it’s less repulsive to step forward as a god, and the system operates more efficiently. Usually, it starts with giving a Revelation that the world must be saved simultaneously…”

The newbie, who had been rattling off explanations, suddenly stopped talking, wrinkling his nose as if nervous.

Knock knock.

A knock echoed. The young Chaos took a sip of tea. The newbie rolled his eyes and looked at Chaos.

“…What should we do?”

“Who is it?”

“Chatterbox.”

Knock knock knock. The knock came again. Then, with a bang bang, the sound of knocking on the door shook the ground. The young Chaos reached out and steadied the teapot, which was about to fall over.

“Open it.”

“Come in!”

With the newbie’s permission, a man in black mourning clothes appeared under the willow tree. He wore a black veil that was several meters long, obscuring everything but his lips. The exposed lips moved slowly.

“I don’t understand why you’re bothering to interfere.”

“And why are you trying to mess with a kid? If you’re a Transcender, leave the people who live in the world alone.”

Chaos answered indifferently. Red lips curved into a crescent-like smile.

“Because I love her. I’m not interested in the Source or the world. I just want to commemorate my love.”

The young Chaos put down the teacup and looked at Chatterbox, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“By catching and killing kids?”

“I won’t simply kill her. Above all, there are many who are interested in the Caretaker. So, I will examine her memories, and if the Caretaker really killed my love, I will make her cut off the breath of the Caretaker’s precious ones with her own hands. After that, I will hand her over to those who want the price of cooperation.”

The mere fact that the King of Innocence, who had lived in curiosity, collecting and observing all sorts of rare things, coveted her to the point of risking his life, had piqued the interest of some Transcenders in the Caretaker. The young Chaos picked up the teacup again.

“There’s no point in talking, so why did you come?”

“You have nothing to do with it, do you?”

“What if I do?”

“I just hope we don’t clash. I hope the oldest sword doesn’t break.”

Leaving a warning, Chatterbox disappeared. The newbie, who had been watching and stiffening, perked up his ears.

“What about Honey, Honey!”

“What do you mean, you idiot? Now that it’s come to this, it might be better that Chatterbox intervened. Once the two groups finish negotiating, they won’t be able to invade easily.”

If there were no restrictions, some might conspire and forcibly invade to capture the Caretaker. There were many Transcenders with the same exploratory spirit as the King of Innocence. At Chaos’s words, the newbie drooped his shoulders and ears.

“Why did it turn out like this? I thought Honey’s world would be able to block the power of the Source easily. There were several born S-ranks, and Chain and Honey’s brother were uniquely trying to protect the world.”

Even if they were born S-ranks, their personalities varied depending on their characteristics, but there were few who seriously tried to save the world. But since there were two of them, it was initially classified as a world that didn’t need much intervention.

“But Honey’s brother died to protect Honey… that doesn’t make sense! Besides, Honey was an F-rank, so the Wish Stone came out. Time was turned back, and Honey got a title she’d never seen before. Two Transcenders died. Oh my god.”

An unprecedented series of events erupted in one of the common worlds.

“Crescent Moon and White Bird.”

“Yes?”

“Surely the Gardener isn’t involved too.”

The young Chaos emptied his teacup. From the beginning, the request to borrow his sword was not ordinary. But now, even he felt lost as to where it started and how it would end.

“What a tough life for a young one. When will it be possible to interfere with the dungeon?”

“Soon, if it’s outside of Honey’s country. But if Chatterbox finds out, he won’t stay still. He’s already made a preemptive strike while negotiations are still underway.”

“I was kicked out.”

At his words that it didn’t matter, the newbie nodded, feeling uneasy, and said he would prepare.

– Kkyau!

Blue’s toes skimmed the surface of the water. The water parted and soared high as if spreading its wings. Perhaps because it had been confined to a certain distance unless it was entering a dungeon, it seemed excited about the walk, which was longer than usual. At least you’re having fun, Blue. But let’s go up and down a little less. I’m getting seasick.

“No, don’t chase the dolphin. It’s not a monster.”

I taught him not to touch humans and livestock, but maybe it’s because he’s seeing a dolphin for the first time, so he tried to catch it. I coaxed Blue and raised the altitude again.

“Park Hayul, why don’t you know anything?”

I tried to subtly pry this and that out of him while crossing the West Sea [Yellow Sea], but there wasn’t much to gain. I wasn’t sure if he was cleverly hiding important information or if he really didn’t know.

Park Hayul grinned cheerfully.

“I can’t tell you, hyung [older brother or male friend].”

“For someone who can’t tell, you’re awfully clueless. First of all, you infiltrated China in disguise, right? That’s right, isn’t it?”

“It’s a long story. I wasn’t in disguise, but I should say I became disguised? I Awakened in Korea, though.”

“In Korea?”

“Yes. I was going to meet hyung. I even got dragged away and beaten for being annoying!”

There were even articles about him showing abnormal behavior… Did a high-ranking Hunter lay a hand on him after getting angry?

“If you were still unawakened, I’d report it. It’s a serious crime for an Awakened to touch an unawakened.”

“Hey, hyung. If you spray a potion, all the evidence disappears. I can’t say anything, usually.”

“…That’s true.”

I’ve been through it too. Besides, high-ranking Hunters can easily use mid- to low-level potions, so there was even talk of potion costs instead of damages.

“I Awakened while getting beaten by Hunters guarding the breeding ground and the building, and suddenly they felt a little sorry when they saw my face and let me go. I only had two skills back then, but the effect was slight.”

It wasn’t an optimized Awakening. But he seemed to have gotten an optimized skill. I thought it would be hard to meet the Awakening conditions, but thanks to feeling threatened by people instead of monsters, he Awakened properly.

“I Awakened, but my rank is low, so it’s still hard to meet hyung. I was wondering if I should register as a Hunter, but somehow I got caught by strange guys and sold to China~”

Park Hayul said cheerfully. He’s proud of it.

“Hey, you almost died and did it again?”

“They said humans repeat the same mistakes.”

I shouldn’t say this to others carelessly, but honestly, Park Hayul seems to have a flower garden in his head [is naive or clueless]. Even now that he’s being friendly because of the skill, I think that, so it must be more serious in reality.

“You’re someone who, how should I put it, seems to have lived a comfortable life.”

“Of course, I was comfortable. I’m handsome, you know.”

“Oh, okay.”

“The first hardship in my life started from the day I met hyung.”

“Should I say I’m sorry? I saved you for now, though.”

“Of course not! It’s more fun these days.”

I thought he had some problems after all. He’s still young, but he doesn’t seem to recognize reality properly.

“Hey, it’s best to quickly pull out of dangerous things and live comfortably by selling your face. What about your family? Aren’t they worried about you?”

“They’re overseas. My sister said she’ll protect me well.”

Who is that sister? What’s her purpose? What is she trying to do with a kid like this? But Park Hayul kept his mouth shut about the work he was in charge of. We’ll be arriving in China soon.

“Hayul.”

I twisted my upper body and looked back at Park Hayul and said.

“I had no idea you were so worried about me and tried so hard to meet me.”

Park Hayul’s mental skill didn’t work properly on people with the Caretaker keyword applied. Then what would happen if I applied the keyword to Park Hayul? I was going to use it carefully on people, but he’s someone who lived comfortably, so there shouldn’t be any problems. At most, I’d hear him call me Mom again.

“What do you mean? Hyung was trapped too.”

I said no, really. It’s a talent to keep making me angry even though he’s under the skill.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you all this time. But I’m really grateful that you kept my secret.”

“…I kept my mouth shut all the time. I only said a little bit.”

“Yeah, it’s good that you didn’t blurt it out on TV. So, Hayul.”

If it’s this guy now, the keyword will be applied perfectly even if I say it roughly. He doesn’t seem to have much sense, so I can say it without burden.

“Even though I kidnapped you… well, I did everything, but anyway, even though I did this, I love you for now. It might be because of your skill, but well, I don’t think you’re a fundamentally bad guy.”

Okay, then the keyword─

[The target is being affected by other similar skills! Keyword application is not possible.]

…What?